Kite string trolley



Oct. 10, 1961 w. D. BOONE KITE STRING TROLLEY Filed Jan. 11, 1961 mmvron WALTER 0 Boa/v5 BY A m ATTaRA/EYJ.

United States Patent '0 v,

3,003,723 KITE STRING TROLLEY Walter D. Boone, 1327 Oairwood Drive, Arcadia, Calif. Filed Jan. 11, 1961, Ser- No. 82,055 7 Claims. (Cl. 244--155) This invention relates to a kite string trolley.

An object of this invention is to provide a lightweight trolley which can ride up a skite string, carrying a sail with it which provides the force to run it up the string, and which will be released at some predetermined position along the string. A related object of the invention is to provide such a trolley which is very light-weight so that it can be moved along by relatively small sail, and one which can be attached along a medial portion of the kite string, so that it does not require the end of the string to be passed through it.

A kite string trolley according to this invention comprises a latch guide to which there are attached a pair of loosely wound spiral string guides. Each of these string guides carries with it a trolley wheel so that the string guides and the trolley wheels cooperate to hold the string alignedvin the trolley groove. This supports the latch guide, which latch guide also carries with it a hingedly-mounted bar. The bar can assume a pair of positions, a first one in which it can clamp a sail between it and the latch guide, and a second one in which it releases the sail. The position is determined by a latch which is held by and is movable in the latch guide. The latch holds the bar in the first position until the latch encounters an obstruction which moves it to release the bar.

According to a preferred but optional feature of the 1 cork 13, relative movement results between the trolley invention, the latch guide is a light tube, so that the two string guides can readily be attached to it, and the latch is an elongated rod having an eye at one end and an abutment at the other, the eye being slidable over the end of the bar to hold it in the first of said positions.

The above and other features of this invention will be fully understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the presently preferred embodiment of the trolley going up a kite string going up a kite;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the trolley shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of FIG. 2 with two of its parts shown in. alternate positions; and

FIG. 4 is a right hand end view of the trolley of FIG. 2.

FIG. 1 shows a trolley 10 being moved up a kite string 11 by force exerted by the wind against a sail 12. This sail may conveniently comprise a piece of folded paper.

011 the stringthere is an obstruction, the preferred embodiment of which is a cork 13 threaded onto the string at a desired location therealong. This will usually be near kite 14. The trolley includes a tubular latch guide 15 which may conveniently be made of thin-walled metal. Within this latch guide there is reciprocally arranged a latch 16 which includes a rod portion 17, a downwardly depending eye 18 at one end, and a head 19 at the other end. The eye and the head hold the latch in the latch guide, and are spaced apart by a distance greater than the length of the latch guide so that the latch can reciprocate therein.

A bar 20 is mounted to the latch guide at one of its ends by hinge 21. The bar is capable of assuming two positions, a first position shown in solid line in FIG. 3 where the latch holds the bar adjacent to the latch guide, and a second position shown in dashed line, where the bar is pivoted away from the latch guide. The bar is capable of turning almost 180, but in any event, far enough that the sail will surely be released. The sail is shown in FIG. 4 in dashed line with the bar in its first position.

3,003,723 Patented Oct. 10,1961

It will be seen that it can easily be blown away when the bar drops to its second position. 7

To the opposite side of the latch guide from the bar there are attached two string guides 22, 23. These string guides are loosely wound spirals which enable the kite string to be worked inside them simply by winding it through the open convolutions. Then the end of the string does not have to be threaded through the guides, but instead the trolley can be put on the string anywhere along its length. Ends 24, 25 of the string guides can conveniently be soldered or otherwise attached to the latch guide.

The other ends of the string guides are headed an turned to form headed shafts 26, 27 by means of which peripherally grooved trolley wheels 28, 29 are journaled to string guides 22, 23 respectively. As can be seen in FIG. 4, the string guides efiectively confine the string to a path wherein it is bound to run along the bottom of the grooves in the trolley wheels.

The use of the trolley should be evident from the foregoing. To use it, a piece of paper or some other material for a sail may be folded or otherwise assembled and placed between the bar and the latch guide as shown in FIG. 4. The'string is run into the string guides by running it through the open convolutions, and then is placed in the grooves of the trolley wheels. Then the trolley wheels support the rest of the trolley through the string, the string being captive in the wheels. With the kite flying in the air, the Wind will now catch the sail and blow the trolley member up the string with the bar in its first position as shown in solid line in FIG. 3. When the latch guide strikes some obstruction such as member and the latch and moves the eyelet beyond the ends of the bar, permitting the bar to fall away. With the hinged mounting shown in FIG. 3, the bar can swing as far as necessary to release the sail and the sail blows away, which is the result desired by the person using the kite. Thereafter with no sail to move it up, the trolley coasts back down the string to the user. Instead of a cork, it is evident that any other obstruction could have been utilized in place of the one which is shown. The

kite itself could even be the obstruction.

Evidently, it is desirable that the weight of the trolley be held to a minimum, which is one of the advantages of this invention. The device as illustrated easily can be made up to weigh only between one-half and threequarters of an ounce. It is reliable in operation, inexpensive to manufacture, pleasing in appearance, and enjoyable to use.

This inventionis' not to be limited to the embodiment shown in the drawings and described in the description which is'given by way of example and not of limitation but only in accordance with the scope of the appended claims;

I claim:

1. A kite string trolley adapted to run along a kite string to carry and drop a sail, comprising: a latch guide; a bar hingedly mounted to the latch guide; a latch carried by the latch guide and having a first position wherein it holds the bar adjacent to the latch guide, and a second position where it is disengaged from the bar to permit the bar to swing away from the latch guide; a pair of trolley wheels; a pair of loosely wound spiral string guides, one of each of the string guides being attached to the latch guide, and a trolley wheel journaled to the other end or" each of the string guides, the string guides being axially aligned with each other, the trolley wheels being aligned with the string guides, whereby a kite string can be inserted through the string guides and support the trolley Wheels with the latch guide hanging beneath, and whereby a sail can be inserted between the bar and the latch guide in said first position to run the trolley up the kite string, contact between the latch and an obstruction on the string moving the latch relative to the latch guide and bar to release the bar to assume its second ,position and release the sail, whereupon the trolley runs back down the string.

g 2. A kite string trolley according to claim 1 in which the latch guide comprises an elongated tube, and in which the latch comprises an elongated bar longitudinally shiftable in the tubular latch guide, and having an eye at one end and a head at the other end, the eye being adapted to engage and restrain the bar in the first of said positions and to be removed from the bar by shifting of the latch guide upon striking an obstruction.

3. A kite string trolley adapted to run along a kite string to carry and drop a sail, comprising: 'a tubular latch guide; a bar hingedly mounted for substantial 180 hinged movement relative to the latch guide; a latch comprising an elongated rod portion, an eye disposed at right angles to the rod, and ahead, saideye portion and head being spaced apart by a distance greater than the length of the latch guide, the rod portion lying within and being axially shiftable in said latch guide so that the eye may be drawn toward the latch guide to engage the bar in a first position wherein a sail can be held between the bar and the latch guide and be shifted away from the said bar to release it to enable it to swing to a second posi- 'tion angularly away from the latch guide; a pair of trolley wheels; a pair of string guides, each including a loosely wound spiral portion, a first end of which is attached to the latch guide with the spiral portions axially aligned with each other and spaced from the latch guide, the other ends of said string guides being bent to form an axle to which the trolley wheels are journaled, whereby a kite string can be inserted through the string guides and support the trolley wheels with the latch guide hanging beneath, and whereby a sail can be inserted between the bar and the latch guide in said first position to run the trolley up the kite string, contact between the latch and an obstruction on the string moving the latch relative to the latch guide and bar to release the bar to assume its second position and release the sail, whereupon the trolley runs back down the string.

4. In combination: a kite; askitestring'attached to the kite; and a kite string trolley adapted to run along the kite string to carry and drop a sail, said trolley comprising: a latch guide; a bar hingedly mounted to the latch guide; a latch carried by the latch guide and having a first position wherein it holds the bar adjacent to the latch guide, and a second position where it is disengaged from the bar to permit the bar to swing away from the latch guide; a pair of trolley wheels; a pair of loosely wound spiral string guides, one of each of the string guides being attached to the latch guide, and a trolley wheel journaled to the other end of each of the string guides, the string guides being axially aligned with each other, the trolley wheels being aligned with the string guides, wherebythe kite string can be inserted through the string guides and support the trolley wheels with the latch guide hanging beneath, and whereby a sail can be inserted between the bar and the latch guide in said first position to run the trolley up the kite string, contact between the latch and an obstruct-ion on the string moving the latch relative to the latch guide and bar to release the bar to assume its second position and release the "sail, whereupon the trolley runs back down the string. a

5. A kite string trolley according to claim 4 in which the latch guide comprises an elongated tube, and in which the latch comprises an elongated bar longitudinally shiftable in the tubular latch guide, and having an eye at one end and a head at the other end, the eye being adapted to engage and restrain thebar in the first of said positions and to be removed from the bar by shifting of the latch guide upon striking an obstruction. V

6. In combination: a kite; a kite string attached to the kite; and a kite string trolley adapted to run along the kite string to carry 'and drop a sail, said trolley comprising: a tubular latch guide; a bar hingedl y mounted for substantialtl hinged movement relativeto the latch guide; a latch comprising an elongated ro'd portion, an eye disposed at right angles to the rod, and a head, said eye portion and head being spaced apart by a distance greater than the length of the latch guide, the rod portion lying within and being axially shiftable in said latch guide so that the eye maybe drawn toward the latch guide to engage the bar in a first position wherein a sail can be held between the bar and the latch guide and be shifted away from the said bar to release it to enable it to swing to a second position angularly away from the latch guide; a pair of trolley wheels;a pair of string vguides, each including a .loosely wound spiral portion, a first end of which is attached to the latch guide with the spiral portions axially aligned with each other and spaced from the lacth guide, the other ends of said string guides being bent to form an axle to which the trolley wheels are journaled, whereby the kite string can be inserted through the string guides and support the trolley wheels with the latch guide hanging beneath, and whereby a sail can be inserted between the bar and the latch guide in said first position to run the trolley up the kite string, contact between the latch and an obstruction on the string moving the latch relative to the latch guide and bar to release the bar to assumetits second position and release the sail, whereupon the trolley runs back down 'the'string.

7. A combination according to claim 6 in which the obstruction comprises a cork threaded onto the string.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,473,213 Nissen June 14, 1949 2,833,497 Young May 6, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 28,145 Great Britain i907 

